Changing Legends
by MiddleLioness
Summary: Ann is thrown into a colorful world of elves,dwarves,kender,dragons and gods. But something is wrong. Some one has been tampering with the story and it is having drastic consequenses. Ann will have to fix history,change legends. Chap 7 up.
1. Stuck In a Book

Authors note: I know, I know. I should probably be trying to work on In The Dark, but this idea just snagged my attention and I just _had_ to write it down. Don't worry, I won't be abandoning my other story. Any way it will be fun writing two stories at once.

Disclaimer: Of course Dragonlance is not mine. Neither are kender. Maryann Gatecrasher is mine though. It took me a while to come up with the name.

Chapter 1: Stuck in a book

I was reading. That was nothing new. I'm always somewhere with my nose in a book. I was always different from the other girls in my town. I wasn't interested in boys, the mall, shopping. I mean really. I don't _care_ who's dating who. Books on the other hand were a different matter. I could talk with a friend about stories for hours. I loved to read, to drink in one book after another, to drop myself into a world completely different from my own.

I glanced at the clock standing on my nightstand. It was getting late. I decided to read a little bit longer. It was a particularly interesting book. It was called Dragons of Autumn Twighlight. I had already read the entire series twice already but I was reading it again anyways. Dragonlance is so cool, I thought. I wonder what it would be like, to walk the road to Solace, to swim with sea elves. I looked down at the sentence I was reading.

_Your wish is granted_

What? I shook my head and looked at the book again. The sentence was gone. "Creepy," I muttered. I went back to reading.

_The old man handed Tas the staff the Barbarian lady had been holding. _

_"Knock him down with this so we can smother the flames." Tasslehoff took it eagerly. Then he paused. He wasn't sure he wanted to. The High Theocrat had been very mean. What if he got in trouble for hitting him with a staff? He hesitated. Meanwhile the Theocrat was dying._

I blinked. That wasn't right. That certainly wasn't what the book had said the first time I read it! I shut the book and then opened it, cautiously. I stared. The words were rearranging themselves! As I watched I began to feel very drowsy. I blinked violently, fighting to stay awake. It didn't work.

_Helloooo_. A voice was leaking into my sleep. _Wake up. You are needed._ I opened my eyes. I sat up. This wasn't my room! I was surrounded by white. Complete white. I stood up and looked around. There was no one there at first glance. First glance are the key words.

"Ah you're awake." I whirled around. Standing behind me was an old man. He was wearing mouse brown robes and a shapeless hat. He was familiar but I couldn't place a name.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name," He said, "Is- is um… um" He frowned, "What was it?" he muttered. It hit me like a shock wave.

"Could it be… Fizban?" I asked hesitantly. I held my breath. It was obviously a dream brought on by the fact that I had been reading dragonlance when I fell asleep.

"Yes! That was it. Fizban! My name is Fizban." I felt faint. Fizban was a character from my books. Get a hold of yourself, I thought, this is a DREAM! It's not REAL! I pinched myself, hard. I didn't wake up. I was freaking out.

"Assuming I'm not dreaming," I said finally, "What am I doing here?"

"Oh yes." said Fizban, "Right to the point, you are here because there are some changes that need to be made in Krynn. If they are not made, things will start to get out of hand. Some one has been fiddling around with the story and you are going to make sure that things stay the way they were. In the meantime I will try to find the interference."

I blinked. Things were moving way to fast. I tried to digest what I had just been told.

"When," I asked slowly, "Will I be waking up?"

"Oh, when you're finished of course! Good luck."

"WAIT!" He paused "What happens if I don't succeed?" He gave me a long look.

"If you don't succeed," he said finally, "Then when the damage is done here it will move on to another story until finally it reaches your story," Fizban suddenly looked cheerful, "And if you don't succeed you won't be waking up. So I think you'll be giving the problem your full attention. Well goodbye for now!" I opened my mouth to argue but it was too late. I was standing on a dirt road surrounded by trees.

I looked around curiously; all fear seemed to have been sucked out of me and replaced with an intense desire to find out everything about everything. This was very, _very_ abnormal as I am usually a cautious person. I started looking around every where. Then I stopped. Some thing wasn't right. I frowned. What was it? I examined myself more closely. Hmmmmm. Lets see, I'm wearing rose colored leggings…LEGGINGS! I never wear leggings! What else? Okay, I'm slender, that's different. I have leather pouches attached to my belt, Yellow tunic, and- I stopped my examination. I was _way_ to close to the ground. I groaned inwardly. I'd SHRUNK! I had just gotten as tall as my mom. I was very proud about my height, or at least I used to be. Then I noticed the staff I was holding. It was at least as tall as I now was, about four feet I'd guessed. It had a kind of slingshot at the top of it and the bottom was pointed. A hoopack staff. My older sister's friend was trying to make one at home. Then I realized what holding a hoopack staff meant. I nearly fainted. I was a…kender? Well, Fizban _could_ have turned me into an ogre, I reasoned. I thought for a few moments. You know, I thought, if you're going to be here a while you should make up a name for yourself. I grinned. This should be interesting. Let's see, a good name, hmm. Not anything common, how about Gatecrasher, yeah that's it. Maryann Gatecrasher. I always loved the name Maryann. My real name was Ann. I thought it was a boring name. Maryann is so much prettier.

I picked a random direction and started walking. I was doing some hard thinking. From what 'Fizban' had said I was obviously on Krynn. Then there was the matter that I couldn't wake up from this dream. That usually means that it's not a dream, but that couldn't be right! I couldn't have talked to Fizban because Fizban is FICTION! Krynn is FICTION! It shouldn't exist! I mean really. When you walk into the library the Dragonlance books are in the fantasy/young adult fiction section. You don't find it in the history section. Then there was the whole thing with some one tampering with the story. Fizban had even called it a story, but then he had also called the real world a story. Or at least I thought he did. The encounter was kind of beginning to become hazy around the edges. The whole idea was kind of silly really, who could really _tamper_ with_ stories_. It would be interesting to meet that kind of person, I thought. Maybe they're some evil person bent on taking over the world. It would be exciting to mee- Uh, oh. I was beginning to think like a kender. Not good. I shrugged my shoulders. Oh, well. Nothing I could do about it. I started walking; it was too beautiful an evening to be worried for long. I hummed a kender wandering song that popped into my head.

The sun was setting but I really didn't care. I probably would have stayed up all night exploring, if I hadn't run into the goblins.

I stopped to inspect an interesting colored rock. I had picked it up when movement up ahead caught my eye. I looked up to see a small group of goblins blocking my path. I walked forward, planning on going around them. They spread out. I frowned. This was very interesting but I felt a compulsion to keep going and the goblins were in my way. The goblin who was obviously the leader stepped forward. He cleared his throat importantly.

"All travelers on the road into Solace after nightfall are to be escorted to the High Theocrat for examination." He said. He obviously expected me to know what on earth a High Theocrat was. I frowned. This wasn't right. I looked at him coolly.

"I'm afraid I don't know your name _or _what your business is stopping people who are traveling after nightfall. That's usually the town guards' job, and they're supposed to wait at the town line."

"We are the town guard." Said the goblin, "and I am second in command after Fewmaster Toede, the captain." I blinked. I couldn't have been more startled than if some one told me the sky was falling. Fewmaster Toede died in the War of the Lance so if he was the captain of the guard- I groaned inwardly. Fizban had dropped me at the beginning of the series! I had to let my thoughts settle. I looked around. All right, I thought, depending on where I am, Tanis, Flint and Tasslehoff are either in front of me or behind me. This may be important. I forgot about the goblins.

Meanwhile, the goblin was getting impatient, "Look, kender" he began threateningly, "if you don't come we'll have to do to you what we did to the last bunch that resisted." I glanced impatiently at his company.

"One, don't call me kender, it's Gatecrasher. Don't you forget it!" I said, "Two, by the looks of your group all you did to 'the last group' was run away and three," the goblins were looking furious, "Are you BLIND? Its _barely_ sunset! If you're going to go attacking innocent travelers, at LEAST wait until dark!"

The lead goblin was turning red. Another goblin stepped in. "This is your final warning, kender!"

I leaned on my hoopack and glared at him, "Alright, lets make sure we understand each other, if_ you_ agree to stop calling_ me_ kender _I_ agree not to start calling _you_ Warty Skinned Toad!" I watched as the realization that they were being insulted dawned on their faces. They obviously hadn't expected this. I can only assume that most of the folk they stop let themselves get bullied. I guess they decided I wasn't one of those people. The goblin looked unsure of what to do. I could almost see the cogs ticking in his brain. If he insisted I come things could get ugly on the other hand if let me pass he would lose face with his men _and_ he would get in trouble with his commanding officer. I guess he thought five against one couldn't lose. Too bad for him.

TBC

_Spoiler: next chapter we will be running into some familiar faces. _

_Hit the button. You know which one._


	2. goblins

Authors note: We're going to be on vacation for two weeks so I'll see if I can right more chapters while we're there.

Disclaimer: Yes, yes. We all know that I don't own Dragonlance. I _do_ own Maryann Gatecrasher though. She's all mine.

Chapter two: goblins

I walked down the road toward Solace whistling cheerfully. I was in a particularly good mood. I would never have thought, I said to myself, that learning to twirl a baton would be that useful. Back in the real world I was always twirling things in between my fingers, pencils, sticks, you name it. It was kind of a bad habit really. The teachers at school were always telling me "Ann! Stop playing with your pencil and get back to work!" My mom pulled an old twirling baton out of the garage after the second talk with my teacher about why my work wasn't getting done. She figured that by getting out all of my extra energy I wouldn't be so 'fidgety during school' as she put it. It worked. After a few weeks of practicing a few hours before school, we started noticing that my grades were improving.

Batons aren't really that long. They only measure about two feet in length, give or take a few. I suppose that's because any longer and you're apt to hit any one standing next to you in the face. My hoopack staff was about four feet long and was just about as hard as a metal twirling baton. I don't think it really matters what it's made of when you're being hit in the head with it. Like I said in the last chapter. Five against one? The goblins didn't stand a chance. I wasn't walking too slowly of course. I had figured out about how far to Solace I was and I wanted to reach it before all of the characters showed up at the Inn of the Last Home. I saw it this way; Fizban had sent me to the beginning. So I had to start changing things at the beginning. That meant joining up with the characters.

I stopped walking. I was standing at the edge of a valley. It was filled with trees whose leaves were painted with the bright colors of the autumn season. The colors were a bright contrast to the steadily darkening sky. It was very beautiful. The haze of smoke that hovered above the treetops was the only evidence of the buildings that were nestled in the branches. I scolded myself for stopping and continued on.

Still thinking about my last encounter, I stopped to see if I had any other armament. Searching through my pouches I managed to find three small daggers. Pulling one out I moved it to my belt, feeling considerably more comfortable armed with more than a hoopack staff. I traveled down the road that was slowly narrowing down to become a path.

I walked through the peaceful shadows of the vallenwood trees. Feeling more at home than I had been. I stopped for a moment to just listen to the birdsong. I frowned. The sounds coming from up ahead were definitely _not_ birdsong. I thought it sounded like voices, so I crept along silently, keeping to the shadows. Gradually I got close enough to here what was being said. The voice I heard sounded like goblin. Not understanding what was said, I assumed it was in a different language. I could now see who was doing the talking. It was a goblin, on a horse surrounded be five others. They were blocking my view of whoever they were talking to. The next voice was in English, so I could understand what was said.

"If they resist, kill them."

I pulled my dagger from my belt, intent on helping whoever it was they were threatening. I was taking aim, planning on pinning the guy on the horse between the shoulders, when he rode off down the path. Figures. It seemed that all goblin leaders were cowards. I clearly remembered the leader of the group that attacked me letting everyone else go first. Then I got a clear view of the travelers. They were a man, a dwarf and a kender. All looked like capable fighters. They did not seem frightened as much as angry.

"Goblins! In Solace!" The dwarf spat, "This new Theocrat has much to answer for!" The dwarf drew his battle-axe. "Very well, come on."

"I advise you to retreat." The man said. He threw his cloak back over his shoulder and drew his sword. "We have had a long journey. We are tired and hungry and late for a meeting with friends we have not seen in a long time. We have no intention of being arrested."

"Or killed, Tanis, don't forget that." The kender added. I choked on my breath. These three were main characters from the story! The man was Tanis half-elven, the dwarf was Flint Fireforge and the kender was Tasslehoff Burrfoot. I nearly put my dagger away. They wouldn't be needing help, or at least I didn't think so. As I watched the goblins attacked. The first one was slain by Flint. A second and the third were finished off by Tanis while Tasslehoff got the fourth. I looked around while they fought, searching for the fifth one. I knew I had seen a fifth one earlier but I couldn't find it. I spotted it in the nick of time as it crept up behind Tanis. I stepped out of the trees and threw my dagger all in one motion. I was some what surprised by the accuracy of my throw. Unfortunately the goblin fell sideways, right on top of Flint. Tanis and Tas were looking at me, having not noticed me before then. To avoid their awkward stares I walked over and pulled the goblin off of Flint, who was busy shouting himself hoarse at Tanis and Tas, who weren't paying attention at all.

"**Who dropped that thing on me**?" He yelled. Then he saw me pull the dagger out of its corpse. He scowled at me. I scowled back at him.

"Well, excuse me for helping out," I said, "I'd think you'd rather have it fall on you than get him in the back." I jerked my head in Tanis' direction. Flint looked at the goblin and then at Tanis and then at the goblin again.

"oh." He said softly.

Later that evening I found myself seated at their table while a beautiful lady sang her song near the fireplace. It wasn't till then that I remembered some thing. In the book the fifth goblin had run away, here, he had tried to kill Tanis.

-_DUN DUN DUN- The plot thickens. Yeah sorry about how short the chapter is. I really am trying. I had to rewrite the meeting between Tanis, Flint, Tas, and Maryann about five times before I got this so bear with me here. Oh and I need an opinion, should I do my chapters in font size 14? I've done it with the last two chapters so you can see what it looks like. Let me know. Press the blue button in the left hand corner. You know the one. Ta ta for now. _


	3. children's stories

Author's note: Hi! Turns out I _do _have internet access. YAY! _Please_ remember to review. Let me know what you think, I'm always looking for ways to improve.

Disclaimer: Yes as we all know I do not own Dragonlance. I _do_ own Maryann Gatecrasher though. Any thing you recognize from the books is not mine. _sighs in disappointment_

Chapter three: Children stories

I should have let Tas hesitate. That is what I thought at the time. I could have gotten myself out of it, I told myself. Later on I realized that I could have, but I wouldn't have. I knew what would have happened. The story would have taken a terrible turn. The Theocrat would have died. Tanis and the rest wouldn't have left Solace and the war would have been lost before it even began. Of course it is always easier to beret yourself when you're running for your life through the dark. The whole time you look for a way out, and as you look you see choices behind you that you think you could have taken. You get angry thinking over the what ifs and could-have-beens. In reality those choices were never really there. It was that imprint you see after staring into a bright light then shutting your eyes. In the split second you had to act you probably only saw a few choices. Afterward you always see so many more choices that look better than the one you chose. You never see it until the event is waving goodbye.

I didn't realize this until later. At the time we were stumbling through a forest, in the dark with Tas as our only guide. That was not a comforting notion. As we plodded on the tension seemed to fade away, for me at least. I couldn't really tell about every one else, though I thought that Tanis looked a little bit pale. Anyway the scenery was all the same in the dark, and I began to get bored. As anyone on Krynn will tell you there is nothing as dangerous as a bored kender.

Now would be a good time to talk about kender. Kender are a childish race. They are mischievous and often get themselves into a lot of trouble. They are always on the lookout for interesting items and places and are not content to stay in one place for very long. The main problem with kender is that they are often found with other peoples items in their possession. As my mother said after reading a passage from one of my books, kender are basically an entire race of kleptomaniacs. They never realize that they are doing it. The most common thing to hear from a kender is, "Oh, is this yours? You must have dropped it." They are very hurt if you ever call them a thief. If they even realize they have taken something, it is always borrowed, borrowed with the best intention of putting it back. After examining it of course. It is very hard to convince people of this, especially if the kender is found with its hand in the person's pocketbook.

I crept up to the front to walk with Tas.

"The trail runs a little more than a mile and comes out at the lake, I'll meet you there." He said to the others. I saw Tanis look a little more than nervous at the idea of Tas going off by himself. The first rule of traveling with a kender is 'never let the kender get bored' the second rule is 'never let the kender go off by himself, 99.9 percent of the time you will be up to your ears in trouble.'

"I go with him, Tanis." I said brightly and took off after him. Behind me I could hear Tanis cursing softly. Two kender were liable to get into more trouble than just one. I caught sight of Tas flitting along ahead of me. He turned and smiled brightly as he saw me.

"Are you going to help with acquiring a boat?" He asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun." I trotted after him all too aware how much trouble we could get ourselves into, and that I didn't really care.

"Is that it?" I whispered.

"Yep." Said Tas loudly, "and there's no point in whispering. The owners of this particular boat live _all_ the way over there." He waved his hand in a general direction, "I'm always using it." I choked slightly. I had never thought about the fact that when Tas said _acquiring,_ he meant _taking_. They are two completely different things. Acquiring insinuates that you have asked permission. Taking does not.

"We're _stealing_ a boat?" I asked incredgeously. I have a _very_ high standard of morals. Tas seemed to be shocked at the thought.

"NO!" he said, "You should know that kender never steal! We are _borrowing_ the boat. We _need_ this boat to get across the lake. Say, you don't act much like a kender."

"Well, I didn't use to _be_ a kender! This is _new _to me!" I snapped. As soon as I said it I regretted it. Of all the people on Krynn, one person I should not have said that to is Tasslehoff Burrfoot. He does not know when to keep his mouth shut.

His eyes were wide.

"_Really?_" he squeaked in excitement, "Are you _enchanted_? What did you used to be? Who did the enchanting? Was it a mage or a demon? I met a demon once." I interrupted his flow of questions.

"It was all rather confusing." I said. I started moving toward the boat, desperate to do _something_ to make him forget it. "Help me." I grunted, dragging the boat toward the lake. He kept up a steady stream of comments that made me realize that he wouldn't stop bugging me until I told him what happened.

"OK!" I said loudly. He stopped in the middle of listing every enchantment he'd ever heard of.

"I was reading my book when the words started doing something funny; when I woke up I was talking to this old guy who said I had to change things. Then I was on the road to Solace and I was a kender." I said. He looked thoughtful.

"The words were probably charmed." He said seriously, "Is Maryann your real name?" he asked suddenly. I gave him a long look, and then decided that it wouldn't hurt to give him my first name.

"No, my real name is Ann." He grinned at me.

"I like that. Can I call you Ann?" I thought about it. I had never had many people say that they liked my name. I thought it was common and boring.

"Only if you don't tell any of the others that I'm not a kender." I said sternly. He shrugged.

"Deal," he said shoving the boat from the bank, "They never believe me anyways."

I sat in the seat having had the paddle taken from me, trailing my hand in the water. I frowned and stared at the surface of the water. The lake was reflecting the stars in the sky. It was breathtaking. It looked like you could reach down and pull a star from the water, but there was one flaw. There was a gap. Right in the middle of a beautiful group of stars there was a gap, an empty space. I heard Goldmoon, as she had called herself, gasp. She had spotted in the sky what I had spotted in the water. Raistlin started coughing violently.

"What is it Raist?" asked Caramon who, as always, was concerned for his twin.

"The stars!" Raistlin gasped, "They're gone! The constellations of The Dark Queen and the Valiant Warrior are gone." He gazed fearfully at the sky, "She has come to Krynn and he has come to fight her! Tanis, every thing we've heard is true. There is war coming, death and destruction!" he was very upset. Everyone looked unnerved. Except for Sturm.

"Children stories." He snorted. I gazed up at the stars thoughtfully and the thoughts came out of my mouth before I could even comprehend what I was thinking.

"Yes, Sturm, children stories." My voice was quiet but everyone seemed to hear it. The world was leaning in to listen, "but think on this, children stories have to come from some where, an idea or a piece of history. They are mockeries of political leaders," I said wryly thinking of the nursery rhymes I had loved as a little girl, "or," I gave Sturm a piercing glance, "A reminder of a well loved hero, I just wonder," I looked back up at the hole in the sky, "where this story comes from."

TBC

_How was that? Ya like it? Review. It is the only way I can find out. Push the button please. Please please please. I'll try to update soon. _

_P.S: Please review, oh and did I mention that I want you to review? _


	4. Choosing a way

Author's note: I've forgotten to say this in all of my other chapters so I just want to say thank you to all of my reviewers. I just feel so happy when I get an encouraging review. Keep hittin' that button.

**Anargil: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all of your reviews, I would like to add that I am _very_ sorry that I misspelled Raistlin's name. I felt _so_ embarrassed. I shall try to fix it when I have the time. Right now the whole mood is _must…keep…typing!_ So during breaks I shall fix the error. Thank you for catching it. (You really _are_ a Raistlin fan aren't you? I shall try to write some scenes with him in it.) **

**goldnote: thank you for the review. I love Kender in the Closet by the way. Kender rule. **

**I would also like to thank, LoveisHeartbreak, She-Magus and BlueFlamesRedTears91. Thanks for all of your reviews! **

Anyway in this chapter I shall be trying a little bit of other characters' point of view. I know for sure that Tanis's POV will be in here. I shall see if I will put anything else in there. (I may even put Raistlin's POV)



By the way I think the quote I put in here is from Harry Potter.

I think I have found a way to separate my POV. I have put ooooooooooooo in between each one. I would have used shift 8 a whole bunch of times but it doesn't show up on the site. Just making sure I don't confuse you.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter four: Choosing a Way

Tanis peered out into the dark with his elfish eyes. He was standing watch over the odd group as they slept. They had always been an odd bunch, Tanis reflected. He himself was a bastard elf, Caramon huge and happy most of the time while his twin, Raistlin, was weak and cynical. Then there was Sturm, a young man who held on to the honor of the knights of Solamnia even after they were shunned by the people of Krynn. Flint was an old dwarf who, even though he refused to admit it, had taken them in. Then there was Tas. There was no need to explain why _he _was odd. The word kender explained everything. Now they had apparently picked up a barbarian princess, a barbarian warrior and another kender.

Surprisingly, it was the second kender that worried him. She was too philosophical for a kender, and, according to Tas, she had problems with stealing things. Not that Tas had used those exact words. As always he stubbornly used the word borrowing. Go figure. He had the feeling that Tas was exaggerating on this point however. Maryann had walked past him earlier and he had later found his money pouch was missing. He had also noted when Maryann and Tas were sorting through their pouches that she had amassed quite a stash. Raistlin had been _very_ angry at the kender after they found what they claimed was a magic ring. No one believed them at first because kender are always claiming to have something magical. After they started levitating around the ceiling the group had thought better and Raistlin had recognized the ring as one of his magical artifacts. Raistlin said he didn't do any lasting damage to them but they hadn't woken up yet.

Just then Tanis heard the kender giggling madly. He sighed. He guessed that the sleeping charm had worn off. They giggled again. It was going to be one of those nights, wasn't it.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Raistlin coughed softly. He had not yet managed to slip into sleep. He longed to sleep just as much as he was afraid to. Some times sleep took away all resentment and pain and other times it took him back to the tower of high sorcery, to relive the long test that had taken place there.

Raistlin frowned. There he was, on the road to becoming the powerful mage he had always imagined himself as and he was still afraid of a dream. Of course he was not as powerful as he wanted. That would take time and planning, and it seemed that he would not have the chance for either in upcoming times. The missing constellations were a dire warning. It seemed that they were caught up in the middle of something. The gods were on Krynn the same time that armies were supposedly gathering, the same time that a staff with healing powers had shown up. He guessed that the power it carried was holy. Magic did not react like the staff had. He rubbed his hand gently.

He sat up as he heard giggling. He scowled. It was those dratted kender. No doubt messing with other things that they could wreck permanently. He reached inside a secret pocket on the inside of his robes. He pulled out the ring he had gotten back from the kender earlier that evening. It was a plain silver ring and until some one tried to use it they would never suspect that it was magic. Having reassured himself that it was still there he stuck it back inside his robes. Apparently they had not damaged it. Any one who did not have magic and used it for too long would ruin the enchantment placed upon it. Leave it to the kender to find the one magical item in his possession that he had not had time to charm. If he had charmed it, Tas would now be a toad instead of a kender.

Raistlin coughed again. He scowled angrily. He normally hid his emotions and feelings from the rest but when they were asleep it wasn't worth the effort. He was still weak. In fact he was weaker than he had been before the test. He had never been the athletic type. No, he was the boy who sat under a tree reading a book. His brother had mostly protected him from bullies and such and now he found that even with power he had to rely on Caramon. Someday, Raistlin swore to himself, someday soon he would make himself powerful enough to be rid of that giant oaf and care for himself. He coughed harder. He reminisced about the day when he would have ultimate power.

The giggling interrupted his thoughts. Curse those kender! They even had the nerve to interrupt his daydreaming! He settled down on the hard rock floor and tried to get comfortable. There was nothing else to do. Kender were completely immune to fear. Nothing he could threaten to do to them would make them stop. They giggled again. He nearly growled in frustration. It was no use; he had to see what was going on. Perhaps if it was bad enough he could get Tanis to talk to them. They would seem to listen to him for a few hours at least, enough for Raistlin to get some sleep. He stood up and looked around. Apparently his presence was not required. Tanis was already up to see what was going on. Raistlin sank back to the floor already sinking into sleep, still brooding about kender.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tas and I had an eventful night. It had started with Tas finding Raistlin's ring in his pouch.

Tas was showing me how to sort through a pouch. As soon as he had found out that I wasn't a kender he had started showing me all of the different things that kender do. One thing that kender do every so often is sort through all of the interesting things that they have picked up. We both dumped our pouches onto the floor. To my immense surprise, I had several things in my pouch. I assumed that some people had dropped it and I had picked it up, after all I am not a thief. Tanis came over at some point to ask if Tas had a map of the surrounding area. Before he left he had pulled a few things he recognized out of our pouches. An ivy ring and his money pouch. I told him to be more careful next time. I might not pick it up. He raised an eyebrow at Tas and left. I was about to ask Tas what that was all about when something glittering caught my eye. It was a very pretty silver ring. Tas noticed it at about the same time I did and began to examine it. It was only when he started to lift an inch off the floor that we realized it was magic. As soon as I pointed this out he fell with a thump. The rest is a bit fuzzy. I can remember Tas and me demonstrated for the group and Raistlin came over to us. He stated that it was one of his magic artifacts. I noticed that his tone was icy. Tas, however, did not notice anything. Tas started to say something about him dropping it. Raistlin started to murmur something under his breath and we both fell asleep very suddenly.

That night I had a very bad dream about Raistlin chasing me around a deserted oak grove yelling that I was a thief and he would turn me into a toad then feed that toad to a snake then chop that snake into a hundred billion pieces. Way freaky. It had turned out that Tas had had a similar dream and I had the sneaking suspicion that it was Raistlin's way of getting back at us. Anyway, Tas and I woke up at about the same feeling not tired and very bored. Remember what I said about kender and getting bored. Tas and I decided that we had to do something or risk going insane.

Tanis caught me and Tas red handed braiding Sturm's mustaches as he slept. Tas and I thought it was a brilliant idea considering that it was Sturm's snoring that had woken us up in the first place (or so we claimed) Tanis then proceeded to scold us. He realized, however that it was having no effect when Tas suddenly pointed behind him and squeaked, "Oh, look! A chicken!" We both burst into a fit of giggles. Tanis sent us back to our sleeping area and went back to his post muttering about kender and always getting themselves into trouble.

We had a pretty eventful start of a morning, but after that everything started running downhill. It was gray and every one felt down. Except for Tas and me. First Sturm found out about the mustaches. I learned a few words that I hadn't heard before from Sturm's lecture. Flint told me later that he had been swearing at us in Solamnic. I thought that it was interesting. Tas got bored of listening to him yell fairly quickly and went to bug Flint. Bad idea. Flint had not had a good evening. All dwarves can't swim, they sink like rocks. Considering that he had nearly been left behind and drowned it was understandable that he was not in the best of moods that morning. He spent the entire night sitting in a corner shivering. I would never have teased anyone about something like that. Having had an enormous fear of heights and spiders, I knew what it was like. Tas didn't. Things quickly began to get out of hand. It was only after Tas asked Flint how much it would cost to ferry them back across the lake that Flint picked up a rock and hurled it in Tas's general direction. Unfortunately, Tanis had picked that exact moment to come up behind Tas to get him to stop and was almost hit with the rock. He sent Tas and me to do the dishes, a very boring job. You'd think that there wouldn't be that many dishes. By the end of dish duty I was in a bad mood. I felt like smacking Caramon, who had used the most dishes. He had apparently gotten the idea into his head that he needed a new plate every time he wanted another helping. The result was that we had used every single dish in the pack. And do you know what that baboon said after breakfast! That he was _still_ hungry! My morning was ruined.

Tas didn't seem to be worried about anything. He went skipping back into the cave making the pots and pans he was carrying bounce, clang and rattle. I was beginning to get a headache and the noise ripped through my head. I closed my eyes tightly. I heard Flint start to reprimand him. Good, I thought, maybe it will actually get through to his head this time. No such luck. Sturm came up behind me looking very annoyed. I followed him in. Tas was being chased around the cave by Flint. I grabbed him by the topknot as he ran by me. I was sick of the noise and it was going to stop, _now_. Sturm thought the same. He turned to Tanis.

"I could hear those two clear from the lake. They'll bring every goblin on Krynn down on us. We have to move. Where are we headed?" That brought us into the discussion of which direction we were going to travel in. It was already decided that we had to get to Haven. Tas pulled out a map and handed it to Tanis. He spread it out and we all leaned over it.

"The Gateway Pass is the only known route through the mountains to the south of Solace. I suggest we take this route." Every one was nodding in agreement. I glanced at the map and recognized the area he was pointing to. I had wondered why Fizban had dropped me so far from Solace, now I knew why. I spoke up quickly.

"I don't think we should," every one looked at me, "That's the area where those goblins attacked me." I glanced at Tanis. I had told him earlier about that particular encounter.

"She's right Tanis." It was Sturm, "The High Theocrat would have thought to guard the pass by now. There are passes to the northeast," he suggested.

"That's across the lake!" gasped Flint.

"Yes," said Tanis, "across the lake, but those lead to the plains." He glanced at the plainsmen, "I don't think you want to go in that direction." I knew that I had gotten the conversation back on track. This time it had been easier to fix the change. I leaned against a wall, looking unconcerned, reading a book I pulled from my pouch. I only glanced up once the conversation turned to Darken Wood. I shook my head at the panic that almost ensued at just the mention of the name. I thought of a quote I had read in one of my books some where.

_'Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself'_

I watched Tanis calm things down. He had a remarkable talent for that.

My mind came back to the present as Tanis was reminding Tas that as the guide he could not allow himself to be sidetracked. I tucked my book away as we started to pack up. I did not notice at the time that Raistlin was eying me curiously. Apparently I had been too calm for his liking when he had mentioned Darken Wood.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

TBC


	5. A spy and a stag

Author's note: not much to say, on with the story.

Chapter 5: a Spy and a Stag

Twigs and dead leaves crackled under foot as we made our way through Solace Vale. We all stepped carefully but it didn't stop us from stepping on a branch hidden under the leaves. I flinched every time some one stepped on a dead branch. In the silence every little sound you don't usually notice seems magnified. It seemed as if the whole world was listening in and making it louder so that our enemies could hear. True, kender do not feel fear. But I was not really a kender. The silence made me nervous. It wasn't until we reached the road that I figured out why.

When we reached the road every one made a motion to step out on to the road. Every one wanted to get out of the dark and into the weak sunlight. Everyone except me, that is. I yanked on Tanis's sleeve to get his attention.

"What?" he asked irritably. He was not in a good mood. On the last few feet of the forest he had gotten tripped by a tangleshoot root. It had then curled around his ankle and wouldn't let go. Sturm had to chop the root away.

"Listen!" I hissed at him. He frowned at me for the apparent waste of time.

"I don't hear-" he stopped as the realization hit him.

"I don't think it's supposed to be this quiet, Tanis. Where are all the birds? Where are all the bugs? Where are all the animals?" Every one heard me that time and no one seemed as anxious to step out of cover. Raistlin was frowning at me again. I didn't care. I glowered back at him. 'What are you frowning at?' I wanted to snap at him. Tanis saw the look Raistlin and I were giving each other and hurried to prevent a fight.

"Some one should scout ahead," said Tanis. I knew what he was planning. I also knew that it wouldn't work.

"I'll go Tanis!" piped Tas. Every one shushed him. "No one would suspect a kender traveling alone." He added in a quieter tone. Tanis frowned.

"I could go with him, Tanis." I said. Tanis nodded, but pulled me aside before we stepped out of the forest.

"Make sure that you stay on track," he told me, "and keep Tas out of trouble. The point is to stay unnoticed." I nodded and slipped off after Tas. I barely heard Raistlin's remark as I trotted down the road to catch up.

"Why are you sending a kender to keep a kender in line?" 'Raistlin's sneaky,' I thought. 'When Tanis can't come up with a decent answer he'll tell him that it's because I don't act like a kender.' Raistlin was obviously getting suspicious. If I wasn't careful he was going to figure out that I didn't belong here.

Tas started singing a kender traveling song as we walked. After a few minutes he noticed that I was silent.

"I forgot, you don't know any kender songs," he said as he finished, "Do you want me to teach you one?" I shook my head.

"I don't sing," I told him hastily. The truth was that I love to sing. I just don't like to when any one is listening. I was very shy about my voice. I started to explain this when I noticed that Tas had stopped to look at a flower.

"Tas," I said exasperated, "Tanis sent you to scout, not pick flowers! Remember, no more getting distracted. We're supposed to be scouting." Then I noticed why he was looking at it. It was dying, withering before our eyes. We watched as it blackened and twisted into dust. An eerie and fearful feeling swept over me. I looked at Tas. His eyes were wide and I knew that he felt it too. I looked down the road for a source of some kind. A cart was coming down the road. Eight figures were pulling it along. They were hooded and cloaked.

"It looks like clerics," Tas whispered to me, "look at the sign on the cart." I squinted at the distant shapes.

"Tas! Those look like the men Tika described back in Solace!" I whispered, "We gotta get back to Tanis, come on!" We both turned and hurried back up the road. As I ran an open book seemed to flash in front of my eyes. A word was standing out from the rest.

_Draconian_

oooooooooooooo

As Tanis and the others came into sight we began signaling furiously. I watched Tanis order every one into the forest. Sturm stood in the road and I could tell he was arguing with Tanis. Both were looking grim when we reached them.

I am not really the best runner. By the time we got there I was out of breath and unable to speak. As I gasped for air I waved for Tas to give our report.

"Clerics," he told them, "a party of eight." Sturm sniffed.

"By the way you were acting I thought it was a battalion of goblins at least. I believe we can handle clerics."

"I don't know," said Tas. I had never seen him act so serious, "I've seen clerics from every part of Krynn and I've never seen any like these. They gave me an eerie feeling, Tanis." Tas shivered, "they'll be in sight within a few minutes."

"Me… too" I finally managed to gasp. I took a big gulp of air, "These things were not normal, Tanis. Normal people don't make you feel like that by just walking in your general direction." Without waiting for a reply Tas and I headed off the road, neither of us wanting to meet the 'clerics'.

As we reached the others we were immediately bombarded with questions.

"What is it?" asked Caramon.

"Clerics," I told him. He frowned at me.

"Clerics! Are you kidding me! We're hiding from clerics!" I gave him an ominous look and he fell silent. Tanis came up to us. Caramon looked sure that I was joking with him.

"What is it?" he asked Tanis. I rolled my eyes.

" Hush! Clerics, a group of them are coming down the road." I gave Caramon an annoyed look.

"Clerics, I do not like this," said Raistlin softly. Tanis turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" I ignored them both and stared out of the brush to the road. Sturm was leaning up against the fence on the other side of the road, watching as the 'clerics' approached. I peered down the road. It was hard to tell that they were moving at all. They were inching along. It began to rain. Flint began grumbling from behind me. I turned to shush him but Tanis had already glared him into silence. Raistlin began to cough softly. Flinching slightly at the noise I turned back to the road. The clerics were now nearing Sturm, glancing around. One of them glared directly at our hiding spot. I shivered slightly but stayed still. There is one rule to camouflage. Even if it looks like you've been seen, don't move. You could ruin every thing by so much as shifting your weight. It looked away as the lead cleric began to talk with Sturm. I carefully drew a dagger from my belt. If things went wrong here it could have dire consequences.

My attention was drawn back to Sturm's conversation as the cleric's hissing voice grew louder in anger. They were talking about the blue crystal staff.

"We did not misplace it! It was stolen from our holy order. We tracked the foul thief to a barbarian village on the plains but we lost his trail! There are rumors of strange doings in Solace, however, it is there we go. We must heal our brother."

Sturm began to say some thing when Goldmoon stood up and walked to the road, Riverwind close behind her.

"I can help you." She said in a clear voice. I sighed. I'd known that she was going to do that. Tanis whispered to her and motioned for her to come back. It had no effect. Caramon leapt to his feet and crashed after them. I grabbed Tas by the topknot as he tried to follow him. Raistlin opened his mouth. His eyes were on me. I needed to work on acting more surprised when some thing happened.

"_Shut up!_" I hissed, "_Now is not the time for questions!_" I glared at him as if daring him to argue. Tanis interrupted.

"Has every one gone _mad_?" he growled in frustration, "Flint, Maryann, stay here and keep an eye on Tas. Raistlin-"

"No need to worry about me, Tanis, I have no intention of going out there."

We watched Tanis move slowly forward, drawing his bow as he went.

"Flint, stay here and watch Tas," I sneaked forward to stand by Tanis, my dagger at the ready.

Several things happened very quickly. There was a flash of blue light, Goldmoon screamed and Tanis started to shout when some thing bowled me over to reach him. Flint leapt forward with a cry smacking the creature firmly over the head. Flint and I dragged it off of Tanis. We all gazed in astonishment. I had read a description of the clerics in my book, but it was nothing like seeing it firsthand. It was a monster out of a nightmare. Scales and claws, wings and wicked looking teeth.

I felt my vision beginning to blur. My stomach heaved. I felt contaminated. I had actually _touched_ that foul thing.

"Whoa, look at that. It's got scales." I barely heard Tas come up. The world started spinning and I was falling, falling, falling. I heard a ringing in my ears. Like a bell a word swirled around my head.

_Draconian, draconian, draconian._

oooooooooooooo

"I don't see why we are dragging that stupid kender around."

I woke to sensation of thumping against someone's back. We were marching through forest. I assumed the battle was over.

"Ah, come on, Raistlin. She's tiny. She weighs next to nothing. We couldn't just leave her there." It was Caramon. I assumed it was on his back that I was being carried.

"Well I still think she's a spy!" My eyes snapped open and my fuzzy head cleared in record time.

"Spy!" I said incregdously, "Well I never-" We were interrupted by Tanis who came hurrying back.

"Is everything alright back here?" I felt anger welling up inside of me. If I had had something in hand I would have thrown it at a tree.

"NO! Everything is not alright!" I glared at Raistlin. Angry tears were spilling over, "Apparently I'm a _spy_!" Tanis flushed and gave Raistlin an angry look.

"I told you not to-" he broke off. I suddenly understood. I looked at the rest of the group who had stopped and were all looking at anything but me. Except for Tas who was coming over. He looked as angry as I felt.

"Who said Ann's a spy?" he demanded. Everyone ignored him.

"Does everyone know about this little theory except me?" I thumped Caramon on the back, "Let me down!" I walked over to Raistlin and waved my hoopack under his nose.

"Let's get one thing straight! I am not a spy! Ok, so I like to use my brain. I actually think before acting. Is that such a problem with you! Sure, I don't like to sing and I don't act like other kender, but that does not make me a spy! I'm just as stuck in this stupid situation as the rest of you, so SHUT UP!" Every one was looking was looking slightly ashamed of themselves, except for Tas and Raistlin. I carried on, not caring what kind of looks I was getting.

"If I was a spy, I could have turned you in by now! Or tried to get you to some place where I could turn you in. I read books, I think logically. I AM NOT A SPY!" I was breathing hard, "Next time you get any more bright ideas about me, you can keep them to yourself!" I stalked back to where Sturm was still stumbling to catch up.

"Since Sturm here is too hurt to make accusations against me I'll walk with him!" As I left I heard Caramon's muttered comment.

"I don't think she would have fainted if she was a spy, Raist. She would have known about those things before hand." I snorted and kept walking.

oooooooooooooo

I felt hurt. It wasn't the fact that Raistlin had called me a spy. No. Yes it was. I had guessed that he might think that a while ago. That was the reason that I kept trying to deny it. I shouldn't have cared what Raistlin thought. But I did. It was also that everyone had considered it. It looked like some of them had not really believed it, but Tanis would have told me about it if he didn't. I supposed that as the leader he had to take those kinds of things seriously. The others were his responsibility. But it still made me feel sad.

I shook the thoughts away and glanced up at Sturm. He wasn't doing well. His face was gray and I knew that if we didn't rest soon he was going to pass out. The slash across his head had turned an ugly purple color and he was stumbling more and more often.

"Sturm, do want to lean on my hoopack?" I handed it to him, "It might help."

"Thank you." He said softly. I frowned. He really must have been feeling bad. Sturm didn't like to except help. I looked ahead at the others. We were falling behind.

"Stop!" Sturm said suddenly. I looked up at him in alarm. His eyes had taken on a feverish cast but he was no longer leaning on my staff.

"Sturm, are you all right?" He was gazing at something off the trail. His face was flushing.

"Tanis! You might want to get over here!" Tanis had already started back at the sound of Sturm's yell. At the sound of my voice his pace quickened.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sturm put his hand to his head. Tanis's initial look of alarm softened to concern.

"I'm sorry, Sturm. We should have stopped for a rest long ago. We could break now. I'm going to climb the mountain and have a loo-"" Sturm shook his head and pointed at thin air.

" No! Look! See it? The white stag." Tanis looked confused. Sturm began to get impatient.

"Look!" he turned Tanis around and pointed him in the direction he had pointed, "Now do you see it! There. He wants us to follow him, like Huma!" Everyone had come back to see what the commotion was.

"I see no stag of any color," stated Riverwind.

"Head wound," said Caramon in a wise tone, "C'mon Sturm, lie down and rest awhile-"

"You great blithering idiot!" shouted Sturm, "With your brains in your stomach, it is just as well that you cannot see the stag. You would probably shoot it and cook it! We must follow it!"

Riverwind spoke quietly to Tanis, "The madness of the head wound, I have seen it before." I gave him a thoughtful look.

"No, I've seen people with head wound madness. They do this." I began stumbling and twirling in dizzy circles. Tas thought that it looked like great fun so he began copying me. I stopped and walked over to Sturm. I pulled gently on his hand. He looked down at me. I looked around. The rest were having a conversation and Tas was still spinning.

"Sturm? Could you show me exactly where it stands?" I was curious. It is not every day that a friend starts seeing things. Besides, I had not forgotten that the story the old man told had been the tale of the white stag. He turned me so that I was staring into the brush.

"Look straight ahead." He told me. I felt disappointed. I couldn't see any thing. As if sensing my feelings, the wind blew around my ears bringing a soft voice that only I could hear.

_Look closely. Believe that it is there. You need to follow the stag._

My eyes widened slightly as a faint outline glimmered in the shadows. It pawed the ground impatiently. By just the outline I could tell it must have been the biggest stag in the world.

I tugged on Sturm's hand again. He bent down and I whispered in his ear.

"It's huge, Sturm! This must be Huma's stag. Nothing else could be that beautiful."

"At least some of them aren't blind," he muttered. I grinned at him and Raistlin scowled. Meanwhile, Tanis and the others were still conferring. Caramon and Riverwind looked skeptical.

"I think we should follow Sturm," I said. They all looked at me, "I don't think it is coincidence that the story that started that whole riot at the inn was the story of the white stag and now Sturm is seeing a white stag. You can go where you want, but I'm following Sturm's white stag." They all turned to look to Tanis.

"Though I have not seen the white stag myself, Sturm says he has. It would seem that he has been chosen like Goldmoon has been chosen to carry the staff and Riverwind to receive it." He took a deep breath, "I agree that we should follow Sturm."

"But it's not even leading us in the right direction! No one goes into those parts of the woods!" Argued Caramon.

"All the better," interrupted Goldmoon, "Tanis said those creatures may have blocked the paths. Maybe this is the way out. I say we follow the knight."

Sturm turned and started off into the brush, obviously tired of waiting. Goldmoon and I were right behind him. By the grumblings coming from behind us the others had decided to follow. Tas caught up to me after a few minutes. Suddenly the brush fell away to reveil a wide open path. We stepped out on to it and kept moving, always in one direction. Towards Darken Wood.

TBC


	6. Renoan and Mallow

Author's note: Well I'm back from vacation and off to camp. I will be gone a week. Don't expect any uploads. I won't even be able to work on chapters while I'm there because we are not allowed to bring laptops. Sorry.

I do need some reviews, however. I need some opinions about something. Ok, it was suggested to me that I turn this idea into a kind of series. I was already planning on sending Ann into the Legends trilogy after the main Dragonlance books, you know the one with the twins and Lady Crysania in it, but there was another idea.

The series idea was that Fizban, being the fuddled old mage that he can be, forgot that he was supposed to be dealing with the person messing up the stories while Ann fixed the symptoms. Because of this, other books start acting up and the kids that Fizban keeps sending into their favorite books decide that they are tired of waiting on Fizban to fix the problem. So it is going to be a loooooooooong fanfic about them trying to deal with the problem. I was originally going to have Ann have to do it because Fizban is just plain incompetent, but the other way is Ann is just the leader of many kids. Ann is going to be the main character either way. So what do you think? Should we give Ann some extra help? Well? Is it even a good idea or just plain weird? Give me your opinion please.

Anyway, it was also suggested that I turn this fic you're reading right now into three separate fics for the three separate books in the series. Do you want me to break it up? Or would you like me to just make it one huge fanfic? Just curious. I do like to get suggestions now and then.

Oh, I also wanted to let every major fan of Dragonlance out there know that there is an animated movie being made of Dragons of Autumn Twilight due to come out in the Autumn of 2007. I'm so excited.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonlance or anything you recognize from it. I do own Maryann Gatecrasher and Mallow. I also own the name Renoan. Thanks!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter six: Renoan and Mallow

"Come on, Ann, let's go get some firewood!" Tas dragged me out of the glade where the others were setting up camp. We had entered Darken wood hours ago. Despite Raistlin's frightening words about Darken Wood, I felt completely comfortable. There was no weird hush. The birds were singing and the sunlight filtering through the trees left sun shadows on the ground.

As Tas and I walked I remembered something I had mentioned to Raistlin when we had first entered the forest. We had been walking along and I had found myself next to Raistlin. Trying to start a conversation, I had told him something that had been annoying me.

"You know," I had said thoughtfully, "I don't think there is any reason to be afraid of the wood. There is nothing wrong with the trees, or the name. It's just what lives here. It's silly that whenever there is something that frightens someone they immediately become frightened of the area where it wanders." He had narrowed his eyes at me.

"You know too much, kender."

Raistlin had then sped up to talk with Tanis. I noted that they fell silent when I passed them to walk with Tas.

I sighed sadly and then pushed the conversation to the back of my mind. I hated being called a spy. I wanted to be trusted. It was going to be a miserable adventure if they thought I was a spy the entire time. I had thought that it was an interesting fact but Raistlin's reaction told me all too plainly that the thought was 'unkenderish' and too knowledgeable.

To distract myself I started looking at the different types of trees. I started naming them to myself 'Poplar, Rowan, Pine, Pine, Maple, Birch, Alder…' Tas and I wandered into another clearing. Standing into the center of it was a willow tree. I love willows. There was a willow tree in the park at home. I loved to sit under it while reading a book. The curtain of branches surrounding me always made me feel like I was in a fairy tale.

This tree reminded me of it. I walked up to the large tree. A kind of ancientness seemed to radiate from it, reminding everyone that it had seen so many things even though it had never moved. I pressed my hand up against it, feeling its rough bark under my fingertips.

"This looks like a good spot." Tas said. I turned to say something when I saw him stand on tiptoe to pluck a branch from the tree.

"Tas!" I admonished, "What do you think you're doing? You are not to take anything from the trees." I cast the willow a fond glance, "I'm sure that they will have enough trouble in later times without you pulling branches off of them. Pick dead branches off of the _ground_ for firewood, not the trees." He gave me a thoughtful look.

"Are you sure you never used to be a mage? Or maybe a demon?" he asked.

"NO! Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Well, you never said what you used to be and you seem to know a lot so I just thought…" I shook my head in amusement.

"No, Tas. I was just a plain boring old human. Nothing exciting about it." Tas shrugged.

"Alright, whatever you say, but we'll have to go look for another place for firewood. There aren't that many dead branches here." I looked back at the tree. I had the funny feeling of being watched. It was not the kind of feeling that makes your skin crawl; it was more like someone was waiting to ask a question.

"You go ahead, Tas. I'll catch up in a little bit."

"Ok." I watched him go before turning back to the tree. I spread my arms around the trunk as far as they would go. It was something I did often, though never when someone else was with me. It made me feel better when I was in a depressing mood. I liked the idea of love making something grow better. My mother had explained it to me when I found her singing to some flowers. I had then decided that trees deserved as much attention as flowers. So, I often went walking in the woods behind our house for the sole purpose of giving out hugs.

"Why do you care about the trees?" asked a quiet voice. I looked around for a few minutes before noticing the faint light perched on a branch near my hand. Looking closer, I could see a tiny human form with silvery wings. It was a fairy. I sucked in my breath. I had often wondered if any fairies existed on Krynn. She was looking at me curiously.

"Did you say something?" I asked her. I saw her frown in annoyance.

"Yes. I asked you why you cared about the trees. That kender was about to break a branch off of one of my beautiful trees and you stopped him. Why?" I thought about it for a moment.

"I guess it was because I feel at home in the trees. It is beautiful and quiet. I am always spending hours in the woods at home. It's my quiet place. I always feel very angry when I find out that my sister broke a branch off for something because to me it's just as bad as hurting someone. They're not just plants to me. They're who I share my stories with. Whenever I have a new book I go out there and read it out loud because the whole forest seems to listen in, waiting as eagerly as I do for the next part of the story. I didn't want Tas to hurt anything in this beautiful wood." The fairy smiled at me.

"Well, thank you. I am sure that the Forest Master would have been very upset if anyone of your company had harmed her trees, she has been waiting patiently for you," the fairy stood up, "and I am sure that the willow enjoyed your company. He doesn't get many visitors now a' days. I come and see him when I can but it really isn't often enough. Good-bye." She fluttered off into the forest. I smiled and headed off in the direction that Tas taken, my mind taken off any hurt feelings I had been thinking about.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Tas and I had returned to the others to find that Raistlin wouldn't leave the path. Caramon and the others were trying to convince him but it wasn't working.

"Aw, Raist, join us," Caramon was saying, "Tas and Maryanne have gone for wood. Maybe I can shoot a rabbit or something." I could have sworn that Raistlin's eyes bugged out of his head.

"_Shoot_ nothing!" He came closer to yelling than I had seen him go, "_Harm _nothing in Darken Wood! Neither plant nor tree, bird nor animal." Tas walked up to them, his arms full of firewood. If Raistlin's eyes hadn't bugged last time they definitely did that time.

"You didn't…!" he choked. Tas shook his head in annoyance.

"No, Ann wouldn't let me; I picked this up off the ground." He looked over his shoulder at me, "What was it you told me?" I dropped my load of firewood in the middle of the glade, and then walked over to join the group. I shrugged unconcernedly, "All I said was that the trees did not need nor deserve to have a door-knob brained kender running around pulling branches off of them. They are perfectly happy keeping the branches they have." Tas shrugged off the slight insult. Raistlin gave me a grudging nod of approval.

"Well, at least one of you has brains," he sniffed and sat down on the path.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

I woke up after falling asleep to a very small hand tapping my cheek. My eyes opened to see the fairy I had met earlier was shining her light in my face. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"What is it?"

"I thought that you might want to know that the forest guardians are coming. It can be very unnerving to have them take you by surprise." She pointed, "Your other lookout seems to have fallen asleep." Sturm was still awake but as he was at the other end of the camp he had not noticed that Caramon was leaned against a tree snoring. I sighed, "Well, I guess I had better go and wake him up. You'd better get going. I don't know what he would think of you." The fairy snorted.

"That guy wouldn't notice me if I flew next to his ear and sang my loudest. He is one of the most unobservant people I have ever seen, and I managed to slip past the knight didn't I? But if you insist, I'll see you at the Forest Master's glade. I always like to catch up on news." She zipped off and I stood, muffling a yawn. I walked over to where Caramon was sleeping and shook him gently.

"zzz- I'mnotsleepingonduty!" He woke up rapidly. I grinned.

"Sure you're not. Want some company? I can't sleep." He nodded. We sat in silence for a few moments. Suddenly a chill ran up and down my spine. "Caramon!" I whispered. Ghostly figures materialized around our camp. They glowed with a pale light, and though they no longer needed them, ancient weapons hung from their belts. I turned to wake the others but the presence of the undead had already shaken them from whatever dreams they may have been having. Tanis, Sturm and Caramon all drew their weapons.

"Put your swords away," Raistlin told them, "They will do you no good. Only a weapon of powerful magic could harm these." I saw Tanis's eyes widen in panic. He wasn't the only one. The rest seemed to be fighting a similar feeling of overwhelming fear. Tas told me later that he hadn't felt anything. I guessed it was an advantage of being a kender. I had felt a little bit of the fear. I wasn't originally a kender. The memory of what fear felt like was still fresh in my mind. The rest of the group was literally quaking with fear. Raistlin was the only one of them that had been expecting something like this to happen.

"Welcome to Darken Wood, Tanis," he said mockingly. I supposed that this had something to do with Tanis trying to tell him earlier that he didn't think we were in Darken Wood. Yeah, right.

Raistlin and Tanis had a whispered conversation. Or, rather, Raistlin talked while Tanis tried to get his terror-numbed mouth to form words. Suddenly Raistlin turned and walked toward the specters. Tanis had to restrain Caramon from going after him. Raistlin explained that he was going to try to communicate with them. He murmured a spell. After a frightening moment the head specter bowed to Raistlin and Raistlin stood next to it, speaking in a voice that was not his own.

"_Who are you who trespass in Darken Wood?_" he asked. Tas was, apparently, the only one of us who was not too frightened to move. Before I could stop him, he stepped forward.

"My friends call me Tas. Who are you?"

"_It matters little; know only that we are warriors from a time long forgotten."_

"Is it true that you are here because you broke a pledge?" Tas asked curiously.

"_It is. We pledged to guard this land. Then came the smoldering mountain from the heavens. The land was ripped apart. Evil things crept from the bowels of the earth and we dropped our swords and fled in terror until bitter death overtook us. We have been called to fulfill our oath; evil once more stalks the land."_

Raistlin seemed to have a fit. A thousand voices shouted out at once. Even Tas backed away. The leader held up his hand for silence.

"_My men demand to know the reason you enter Darken Wood."_

ooooooooooooooooo

The conversation soon ended. Raistlin told us that we were summoned and we followed him through the crowd. Suddenly as if driven mad, the others began to run, ducking and dodging invisible things. I stopped, watching them in confusion. A small light appeared in front of my face.

"Hello, again." It was the fairy. I pointed to my companions who were all but out of sight.

"What are they _doing_?" I asked her. She chuckled.

"The guardians always do that. They seem to take immense pleasure in frightening people into the direction they want them to go." Her tiny forehead creased in a puzzled frown, "It doesn't seem to have worked on you, though. I guess I'd better lead you in the right direction." She flew ahead a few feet, and then turned, "Well, come on!" I followed her to a barren and dead looking glade. I did not know why, but it made me feel sad. I walked up to the others; the fairy perched on my shoulder. Tanis gave me an odd look at seeing me walk so calmly. The specters vanished as I approached, and Raistlin's eyes opened.

"The spell… drained me," He whispered, "I must rest." A huge voice interrupted him.

"**And rest ye shall!**" It boomed. We spotted what we thought was a man standing in the trees. Though we were all relieved that it wasn't a specter, everyone drew their weapons and stood in front of the exhausted mage.

"**Put thy puny weapons down, you are surrounded and have not a chance!**"

"A trick," Sturm snorted. The fairy giggled. Sturm looked around in alarm. I rolled my eyes and set my hoopack on the ground nearby. Several more men came into view. The one that had issued the warning stepped out into the clearing and we saw that it was not a man but…a centaur. The others gaped at him. Flint sneezed.

"**Thee must come with us,**" he said coolly. The fairy giggled again and whispered into my ear, "I just think that it sounds so funny when he is speaking in his stern voice, using all of the 'thee's and 'thou's. Don't worry, he pretends to be gruff, but I've seen him laugh acorns off of oak trees." The centaur frowned and gave the fairy a stern look.

"**Mallow! Come here!**" he said sharply. The fairy blushed, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"Yes, Renoan." she said contritely. She flew up and perched on the tip of his nose causing him to cross his eyes. I bit my tongue to keep myself from laughing.

"Why is the centaur crossing his eyes?" Tas whispered. I thought I was going to burst. The urge died away as I saw that Raistlin was glaring at me suspiciously. I sighed sadly. Meanwhile Renoan pulled Mallow off of his nose and began holding a whispered conversation.

By this time the group had spotted the fairy, and were shooting me mistrustful looks. Not good.

After a few moments I saw Mallow nod reluctantly. She flew back over to me.

"Apparently I have 'orders' to go and make sure that everyone is prepared for your arrival." She sniffed indignantly, "Like anyone can 'order' _me_ around." She turned and shouted in the centaur's general direction, "Ya hear that, horse hoof? I'm doing you a _favor_! You owe me one!" She turned to me; "I'll see you later." She flitted off into the trees, still huffing indignantly to herself. I turned and saw that the rest of the group was giving me weird looks.

"_What?_ I met her in the forest while we were getting firewood!" Most of the group accepted this explanation, however Raistlin was still giving me that look even though his eyes were nearly closed. I fidgeted under his suspicious gaze.

The centaur snorted impatiently.

"My brother is ill, he can't go anywhere." Caramon told him.

"Place him on my back," Renoan said stiffly, "In fact if any of you be tired, thee may ride to where we go."

"Where are you taking us?" asked Tanis.

"Thee is in no position to be asking questions!" The centaur snapped. He was obviously still embarrassed by the fairy's attitude about the whole situation.

"We travel far and fast. I suggest thee ride. But fear not." He bowed to Goldmoon, "Harm will not come to thee this night." I had the feeling that it had been his plan to have us ride the entire time, he was just making a big deal of things.

"Can I ride, Tanis, pleeeeeeeeease?" Tas reminded me of a child begging his mother to go to a friend's house.

"Don't trust them!" Flint sneezed again.

Tanis gave permission.

oooooooooooooooo

The centaur had not been boasting when he said they traveled fast, and I was the only one with no experience riding horses. The centaur's galloping gait jarred me and made me feel like I was going to fall off. It was dark and all I could hear was the thudding of the centaurs' hooves and Tas's chattering voice. I had been put on the same centaur as Tas and he hadn't stopped talking the entire time. I could feel my head starting to throb. We slowed to a stop. Tanis's voice seemed loud in the darkness.

"Why are we stopping?"

"Because thee art here. Dismount." Renoan ordered. I slipped from my centaur's back and… fell flat on my face. I had misjudged the distance to the ground. One of the colorful Solamnic words Sturm had used that morning slipped from my mouth. I kept forgetting that I wasn't as tall as I used to be.

"Maryann! A lady should not be using that kind of language!" I guessed that Sturm's appalled voice had come a little to my left. I turned in that direction.

"If you don't want me using it, don't use it yourself! That way I won't learn any more," I said.

"When did you use _that_ word, Sturm?" Tanis asked incredulously.

"Well…erm-" I could almost see Sturm flushing and tugging on his mustaches. I heard a rustle and guessed that Tanis had turned to the centaur.

"Where is here?" he asked.

"Thee stands in the center of Darken Wood," Renoan replied, "I must now bid thee farewell or fare evil, depending on how the forest master judges thee." The group did not react well to these words.

"Wait a minute! You can't leave us here in the middle of this forest, blind as newborn kittens-"

"Stop them!" shouted Tanis. I heard a curse come from Sturm's direction. I also heard Renoan chuckle and hooves galloping off into the forest.

"Good riddance!" Flint grumbled.

"Really, Tanis," I said reproachfully, "_'Stop them'_. Use your head. We can't see and they are at least three times _your_ size."

"Are we all here?" I heard Tanis ask. He ignored my comment.

"I'm here," Tas's shrill voice piped, "Oh, Tanis wasn't it wonderful? I-"

"Hush, Tas!" Tanis and I said at the same time.

"The Plainsmen?" Tanis continued.

"We're here," came Riverwind grim voice, "also weaponless."

"No one has a weapon?" Tanis asked, "Not that it would do much good in this cursed blackness…"

"I have my staff." Goldmoon said softly.

"And a formidable weapon that is, daughter of Que-Shu." A deep, musical voice spoke out from the darkness. It filled me with peace. Any upset feelings I was having were pushed to the very back of my mind. The voice continued, "A weapon for good, intended to combat illness and injury and disease. In these times it will also be used as a weapon against the evil creatures who seek to find and banish it from the world." Apparently the voice did not have the same affects on the others. When Tanis next spoke, the mistrust was plain in his voice.

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

"We won't harm you," offered Caramon. I heard the now familiar giggle of the fairy.

"Imagine that! A human trying to order the Forest Master about. What is the world coming to? And a human even suggesting that they_ could_ harm the Forest Master? What silly creatures these humans are."

"Hush, Mallow." The voice spoke to the group, "You have noticed that you have no weapons. I will return them when the time is propitious. No one brings weapons into Darken Wood. Not even a knight of Solamnia. Do not fear, noble knight. I recognize your sword as ancient and most valuable! I will keep it safe. Forgive this apparent lack of trust, but even the great Huma laid the Dragonlance at my feet."

"Huma! Who _are_ you?" came Sturm's astonished voice.

"I am the Forest Master." The darkness melted away to reveal the speaker. It was a unicorn.

TBC

_Like I said, I'm going to be at camp for a week. That does not mean that you cannot review. I will be very happy if I come back and my inbox is clogged with review alerts. Also, please give me your opinions on the ideas suggested in the Author's Note. If you didn't read it, please scroll to the top and do so, so that you can respond. I really need some opinions on this before I do it, guys. Thanks! _

_glowingnarya _

_You know the drill. Please hit the little button on the lower left hand corner of the screen._

_Review, you know you want to. _


	7. A dream and a destroyed village

**Author's Note: First of all I would like to apologize for not updating for so long. I had a serious case of writer's block. But I am back on track now. I have a villain now, too. It was really bugging me that I didn't have a villain yet.**

**Anywhooooooooo, I would like to thank Phoenixasending for giving me the opinions I asked for in my sixth chapter author's note. When I asked for your opinion I meant it. Any more that you guys could send me would make me extremely happy. I would also like to thank all of my other reviewers, you really make my day.**

**Also, the song in this chapter was written by my friend, Gwen Gamgee. She was showing me some songs she had written and this one caught my eye because it fit what my character was feeling. I asked to borrow it and here it is. The song was originally written for her fanfiction, Mermaid. I am trying to encourage her to update and the more reviews she gets the more likely she is to update. So if you are a Teen Titans fan go read it. We are going to have some Goldmoon POV here. Let me know if I did it right. I'm finding Goldmoon difficult to write.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonlance, The only characters I own so far are Ann (of course) and Mallow (See last chapter). For those of you who liked Mallow, I created her because I noticed that on Krynn there is a unicorn, centaurs and some Pegasus. They didn't see any fairies and I love stories with fairies in them so of course I had to add one. And as I have said the song does not belong to me. That's Gwen's.**

Chapter seven: A dream and a destroyed village

It was a dream. That much was clear to Goldmoon. She had been seated on the back of a winged horse and then she was here, running. She had the feeling that she was chasing some one, but she couldn't get the person in sight.

Instinctively she knew the way to run. Images rushed past her, giving her the feeling of walking on stepping stones across a river. Each stone was a different color. Every few steps and it was a different scene that she ran through.

Her first few steps brought a room into view. As she past she saw that it was filled with brightly colored objects. Tas was seated amidst these objects, picking them up, examining them and figuring out what they did. Another few steps and the room vanished from view. She was now running through a different scene. Goldmoon saw Tanis standing between two women. One was a black haired human with a crooked smile and the other was golden haired elf. It looked like they were begging him to choose something. Goldmoon caught a glimpse of his face; his brow was furrowed with indecision. Goldmoon ran on. Always running, never stopping, never slowing, never growing tired.

Many images rushed by, almost blurring together as Goldmoon sought to increase her speed. Sword fights, a hot forge, the smell of a feast, Riverwind watching her as she past.

Suddenly, she stopped. Anything else and she would have kept going, but this was too big to ignore, literally. Raistlin towered over her, big enough to reach up and pull a moon from the sky. This was not the weak Raistlin that Goldmoon was used to. He was monstrous and his fingertips crackled with powerful magic. Goldmoon shivered and continued on, trying to forget what she had seen. The image was disturbing.

Then Goldmoon stopped a second time. For the first time she was unsure of where to go. Looking around, she saw that she was standing in a forest. Sun shadows played on the ground every time a breeze ruffled the treetops. Birdsong rang through the trees. Pine tree needles covered the ground, mixed with leaves that had fallen from the surrounding trees.

Goldmoon examined the ground noticing the footprints that stretched out before her in the loam. She began to follow them, not sure why she wanted to, only knowing that she needed to. She was very annoyed when she found that the path she was following ended in briars. She glanced around before noticing a gap in the thorns a little to her left.

Goldmoon took in her surroundings as she stepped through the wall of briars. She was standing in a glade. A small pond took up most of it and a willow tree stood on the bank. She could barely make out a figure seated beneath it. The person pulled an instrument from a case and strummed a few chords on it. As Goldmoon drew closer she noticed that it was a girl, maybe 15 years old at the most. Goldmoon silently observed that she was peering at a book and scribbling things down in between chords, muttering to herself. Goldmoon was about to speak when the girl set down the book.

"There, that looks right," the girl said to herself. She began to play, humming the opening notes before beginning to sing.

_Why are you scared of me?_

_Don't you know there's nothing to be frightened of?_

_Why are you scared of me?_

_Can't you tell I'm a blessing from above? _

_I'm here to help you._

_Why are you scared of me?_

_I'm going to save the world,_

_but doing so I'll lose my life._

_I want to help you,_

_But I seem to fill you with strife._

_Can't you tell I'm good?_

_Why are you scared of me?_

_Don't you know there's nothing to be frightened of?_

_Why are you scared of me?_

_Can't you tell I'm a blessing from above?_

_I'm here to help you._

_Why are you scared of me?_

_I'm going to save the world,_

_but I can't do it on my own._

_Can't you see that,_

_I need friends like any good ol' girl should?_

_Can't you give me that?_

_Why are you scared of me?_

_Don't you know there's nothing to be frightened of?_

_Why are you scared of me?_

_Can't you tell I'm a blessing from above?_

_I'm here to help you._

_Why are you scared of me?_

_I'm going to help you_

_With your fight._

_I'm going to help you_

_Fight for what is right._

_Can't you help me please?_

_Why are you scared of me?_

_Don't you know…there's nothing…to be frightened of?_

Goldmoon stood in a daze as the last few enchanting notes slipped away. Perhaps it was because this was a dream, but a feeling had seemed to enter the glade when the music started. Wistful, a little bit frustrated but also calm.

Goldmoon studied the singer as she bent back over her book. She had long straight auburn hair, kept out of her face by a headband. She wore a blue (for lack of a better word) tunic and a dark brown skirt that hid her feet when she was sitting.

The girl frowned at something, and began talking to herself again, "Now where did that come from? I don't remember writing that. Out you go." She pulled out the cylindrical object she had been scribbling with before and scratched at a line. Apparently there was something wrong with it because the girl scribbled harder and then smacked it against the palm of her hand.

"Oh come on!" she said in frustration, "It can't run out of ink now!" She tried again before throwing it to the side. "Fine! Be that way, you stupid pen!"

"Um, excuse me," said Goldmoon hesitantly. The girl turned and jumped to her feet in alarm.

"What are_ you_ doing in my dream?" She gasped. Suddenly Goldmoon understood. All of the images she had seen were other people's dreams. She felt as if she had intruded on something very private. She didn't even know this person, or at least she didn't think she did, "Who are you?"

The girl raised an eyebrow, looking slightly annoyed, "Why do you need to know?" Goldmoon stared, the expression looked very familiar. No, it couldn't be. Goldmoon went through the list of faces she had seen while running through dreams. Tasslehoff, Tanis, Flint, Caramon, Sturm, Riverwind, Raistlin. That only left one.

"_Maryann?_" she asked incredously. The girl gave her a speculative look before nodding.

Before Goldmoon could think of anything to say, the girl disappeared. Goldmoon blinked in surprise and looked around. She was alone in the glade.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

My dream changed. I sighed with regret. I had hoped for a moment that I actually was in my favorite glade behind my house. Apparently not. I was now standing in a dark, stone corridor. I squinted, trying to make out my surroundings in the dark. I was standing near a slightly open door. Muted voices came from the room and I crept closer to see what was being said.

"Hmmm. If you and whoever you're working with are so high and mighty, why do you want my help in disposing of this 'intruder' for lack of a better word?" The first voice I heard was a woman's scornful tone. Her voice was of a tone that could speak honey if needed or freeze a disobedient servant in their tracks.

"_Because_," hissed the next voice in an annoyed tone, "I am busy putting the plan into action. I have no time to chase down whoever it is that is screwing up the plan. I realize that you do not have the time to hunt anyone down. All we are asking is that you keep your eyes open. If they are doing what we think they are doing, you will run in to them eventually. When you do…." The voice trailed off ominously. I tried and failed to imagine what someone with such a voice would look like. The voice was very deep and menacing at the same time. The woman spoke again.

"Oh, very well. I will 'keep my eyes open' as you put it. I will want something extra for this deed however because as you say, it will take up some of my valuable time." There was silence and I assumed the deep voice was nodding. Then there were soft footfalls. I backed away from the door and hid in the shadows. The door started to open when I was woken up by Goldmoon's cry.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Goldmoon knew there was something that she should be remembering, but worry clouded her thoughts. The companions walked toward the smoke that drifted lazily into the sky. She was frightened. Riverwind had said that their warriors would have been able to hold off these 'draconians'. She had allowed his words to comfort her at the time, but now she was not so certain. Storm clouds were gathering and smoke was drifting from where her village lay. She would not allow her worries to show to the others, but she was very worried.

She glanced at the others' faces. Everyone was subdued. Even the kender was being solemn. She caught a glance of Maryanne walking next to Tasslehoff. Again her mind niggled at her to remember something. It was no use. She would have to think about it later.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I couldn't turn it off. When you see something disturbing on T.V. you can always change the channel. In a book you can turn the page or skip a section. I had never liked hearing about wars on the news or about murders that were on the front page of a newspaper. Que-shu was not something I could ignore. It was awful. Like a waking nightmare. The only sounds were Goldmoon crying out names as she raced through the burned village and the squeaking of a chain somewhere. I vaguely remember being sick in a corner. Bodies were lying everywhere. Blackened and charred as the buildings whose smoke had drawn our attention. Rocks were melted and every one of us had numb looks on our faces.

The squeaking turned out to be the chain by which two goblin bodies strung up. The message left above them did not really make its way into my brain. The only thing I could think of was that it was a good thing that Verminaard was going to die. He absolutely deserved to die. But it would not happen soon enough. Time is different when you read a book for the character and the reader. The reader skips days in sentences. The character lives all of those days the author didn't really pay attention to. Verminaard was going to live for months, maybe. How many people would die before he did? And how long would I be here? I had no idea. That whole day is stuck in my memory. Sometimes there are nightmares about it. One thought stuck in my brain as we stood there in the rubble. It looked like I was not dreaming. And it was going to be awhile before I 'woke up'.

TBC

_Yeah I know. That was a really angsty chapter. Sorry if the whole dream bit seemed really weird. My excuse for that is enchanted sleep leads to very strange dreams. Anyways I would like to apologize again for taking so long in getting this chapter up. Please review! glowingnarya :)_


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